Impact of transplanting dates, cultivars and zinc on performance of onion (Allium cepa)

An experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) seasons of 2020–21 and 2021–22 at Horticulture farm of Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University, Jobner, Jaipur, Rajasthan to determine the effect of transplanting date, cultivar and zinc application method on growth, yield and quality of onion (Allium cepa L.). Experiment was conducted in split-plot design and replicated thrice. The treatments consist of 2 transplanting dates, viz. 10th December and 01st January; and 3 cultivars, viz. RO-01, RO-59 and Bhima Shakti were kept in main plot; and in sub- plots, 4 methods of zinc application, viz. control, soil application of ZnSO4 @25 kg/ha, dipping of onion seedlings in zinc solubilizer solution before transplanting and foliage spray of ZnSO4 @0.5% at 30 and 45 days after transplanting were kept. Significantly higher plant growth, bulb yield (416.8, 358.0 and 387.4 q/ha) and quality of onion were recorded in 01st January transplanting date. Among the cultivars, significantly higher plant growth, bulb yield (417.5, 358.4 and 388.0 q/ha) and quality of onion were recorded in Bhima Shakti but these parameters were at par with RO-59. In zinc application methods, significantly higher plant growth, bulb yield (41.5, 35.8 and 38.7 t/ha) and quality of onion were noticed under foliar application of ZnSO4 @0.5% but these were found at par with soil application of ZnSO4. Thus, the conclusion of findings was that the transplanting of Bhima Shakti cultivar on 01st January and with foliar application of ZnSO4 @0.5% had the potential effect to increase onion performance.